She Wasn't Always Evil
by aprilkitty
Summary: Henry has started to wonder if the Evil Queen was always evil, so he decides to learn about her past.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This is the first story I have written from Henry's point of view, so hopefully it turns out okay. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

**Disclaimer: **"Once Upon a Time" and its characters do not belong to me; I'm only borrowing them.

Henry Mills stared out the window at the clock tower. The hands on the clock had been moving since Emma Swan had arrived in Storybrooke, or rather, since he had brought her there. Now the curse was broken, but they were still here in Storybrooke. Some things had changed, like everybody having their memories. Other things stayed very much the same. The town really didn't look any different.

Henry remembered when he had first seen the clock begin to work. He had been sitting in his room, wishing that something would happen to prove that he was right about the curse. He was tired of being lonely, tired of sitting in classrooms with kids who didn't age like he did. He was sick of the lies his mother told him, especially when she pretended to love him.

Had she just been pretending, though? Now he wasn't so sure. She had seemed so sincere when she had said she loved him after the curse was broken. At the time, at least, he really thought she meant it. She had told him that she loved him before, but she had always said it without much emotion. She had always seemed a little cold and distant, and he thought that when the curse was broken, she would drop the act completely. After all, she was the Evil Queen.

Maybe it wasn't an act though. Was the Evil Queen capable of love?

Henry had been starting to wonder if maybe she wasn't always evil. What if she was like Darth Vader? Anakin Skywalker used to be a good person. He started out as a nice kid, and then he was Jedi before he turned to the Dark Side. Was it possible that his mother was once a perfectly nice girl who had no intention of doing bad things? She had done so many terrible things, though, like cursing everybody and killing the sheriff. It was hard to picture her as the same age as him, but she must have been a kid at one time.

Henry realized that there was somebody he could ask. Snow White had known her for a long time, hadn't she? After all, the queen was her stepmother. She should know if his mother had ever been a good person.

Henry decided to go and ask her. Snow was sitting on the couch, reading a book. Charming and Emma were out, so it was a good time to talk to her.

"Miss Blanchard? I mean…Snow?"

It was hard to get out of the habit of calling his teacher "Miss Blanchard." He wondered sometimes if he should call her "grandma," but he thought it might be too soon for that.

Snow smiled. "Either one is fine, Henry."

Henry nodded. "I was wondering if I could ask you something."

Snow set her book down. "Of course you can, Henry."

Henry took a deep breath. "Was the Evil Queen always evil?"


	2. Chapter 2

** A/N: **Thank you for the reviews! I hope this chapter meets your expectations.

Snow's eyebrows raised for a moment. "You want to know if Regina was always evil?"

Henry nodded.

Snow looked away from him. She stared at the wall for about a minute, and Henry figured she must be deciding what to say. Was it that hard of a question to answer?

Snow finally turned back to him. "Well…" Then she stopped again and sighed. "No, Henry, she wasn't always evil."

"So…Was she good at one time?"

Snow closed her eyes for a moment. She didn't really seem to like talking about this. Finally, she nodded. "Yes, she saved my life."

Henry stared at her. "She saved your life?"

Snow smiled a little, but it seemed to Henry that it was a sad smile. She nodded. "Yes, my horse went wild, and I couldn't stop. Regina rode up to me and took me off the horse before I could get hurt. She was very kind to me, and she encouraged me to ride again. I thought at the time that we would be the best of friends."

Henry couldn't believe it. The Evil Queen had hated Snow so much, and yet at one time, she saved her life?

"Then what happened?"

Snow looked out the window for a moment. "My father proposed to her. I lost my mother when I was very young, and he thought Regina might make a good mother for me."

Snow paused again, but this time, Henry waited. He knew she would continue.

"But Regina didn't want to marry my father. She was in love with a stable boy named Daniel."

Henry tried to picture his mother, this woman who had been so strict with him and who sometimes seemed so cold, as a young woman in love. The only pictures he had seen from when she was younger were the drawings of the Evil Queen in the book. It was amazing to think that the woman in those drawings was once the same woman that Snow was now describing.

"I had thought that she had wanted to marry my father, and I was shocked when I found her kissing this stable boy. But Regina explained that she loved him…"

Snow paused here again and looked out the window for a moment. When she looked back, she was wiping tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, Henry. This isn't an easy story to tell."

Henry nodded. He had a bad feeling about where this story was going. After all, it ended with Regina becoming the Evil Queen, so it couldn't exactly be happy, could it?

Snow waited a few more moments before continuing, her voice now sounding a little choked up. "I wanted to tell my father and her mother because I was sure that they wouldn't want to stand in the way of true love. But, Regina made me promise not to tell."

Henry was confused. "Why?"

"Her mother…she was a witch. Apparently Regina was worried about what her reaction would be," Snow said.

She paused for a moment and looked down at her hands.

"Apparently for good reason, as I later found out," she said softly.

"Did you keep the promise?" Henry asked.

"No, no I did not," Snow said, her voice almost a whisper. "You see, her mother told me that she didn't want to lose Regina, and I didn't want Regina to lose her mother like I had lost mine. I was very young, and I was sure that telling her mother was the best thing to do. I didn't know that she was a witch, or what lengths she would go to."

Now Snow was telling the story more quickly, as if she was relieved to finally be getting it out. "I didn't find out what really happened until much later. Regina had told me after Daniel was gone that he had run away, and that she was happy to be my stepmother."

Henry dreaded what Snow was about to say next. He almost wanted to stop her from saying it, but he didn't.

"Apparently when Regina tried to run away with Daniel, her mother ripped out his heart. Regina buried him near the stables. She has hated me for failing to keep that secret ever since."

Snow looked at Henry with her eyes still bright with tears. Then she leaned over and wiped a tear from Henry's cheek. He hadn't even realized that he had started crying. It was such a sad story. He couldn't believe what both his mother and Snow had gone through. He knew right then that he needed to talk to the woman who had raised him his whole life.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Henry and Snow sat in silence for a couple of minutes. Henry wasn't quite sure what to say. He knew that he had another question he needed to ask, though. He just wasn't sure how Snow would respond. Finally, Henry broke the silence.

"Snow?"

"Yes, Henry?"

Snow's eyes were still red. Henry's likely were, too, but he wasn't going to look in a mirror to check.

"Do you think…do you think that maybe my mom could find the good in herself again?"

Snow's eyes widened. "Oh, Henry. I don't know about that. That was a long time ago, and a lot of bad things have happened since then."

"Yes, but, it's still possible, isn't it?"

Snow looked down at her hands again before looking at Henry. "Henry, I just don't think you should get your hopes up. Regina was once a good person, yes, but since then she has done quite a few terrible things. I'm really not sure that she can change."

"But if she could just find that good part of herself again…"

"Henry." Snow took his hand. "I know that Regina has been your mother for ten years, and you want to believe that she can be a good person again. I have wanted to believe that before, too, but I think that she is too far gone now. She cursed everybody to get revenge on me. Anybody who is that focused on revenge isn't going give that up easily."

"I didn't say that it would be easy," Henry argued. "I'm just thinking that it might be possible for her to change, if she has people helping her."

Before Snow could respond, Emma and Charming walked in the door. Snow jumped up from her seat.

"Emma, Charming, can I talk to both of you for a minute?" Snow turned to Henry. "Henry, why don't you finish unpacking that box there?"

Henry frowned. He knew they were about to talk about him. He hated it when adults did that. He opened the box as they went out in the hallway. He unpacked a few things. Then, he went over to the door to listen.

"I'm really worried that I gave Henry the wrong idea," Snow said. "Maybe I shouldn't have told him all of that, but I didn't want to lie to him. I'm afraid that he's going to think he can change Regina."

"Well, he can't see her," Charming said. "We need to keep Henry away from her."

"Is that really the best approach?" Emma said. "Regina has been his mother his entire life. You can't just expect the kid to stop caring about her. Anyway, I'll talk to him."

Henry ran back to the couch and began unpacking again. Emma came over and sat down next to him.

"Henry, Mary Margaret told me about your talk, and she said that you were asking about whether Regina could change."

Emma frequently still called Snow "Mary Margaret." It was difficult to know what to call each other now.

Henry nodded. "I know that it wouldn't be easy, but can't I try to talk to her? I mean, she said she loved me, and I think I believe her now. If she loves me, maybe she'll listen to me."

"Maybe," Emma said. She paused for a moment before continuing. "Kid, I just don't want you to get your hopes up. Sometime people can't change, no matter how much other people want them to."

Henry nodded. "I know, but Luke helped Darth Vader find the good in himself in Return of the Jedi, and Yoda and Obi-Wan didn't think he could change either."

Emma frowned. "Darth Vader was a fictional character."

"So were Snow White, Prince Charming, the Evil Queen, Red Riding Hood…"

"Okay, kid, I get your point," Emma said. She sighed. "If you really want to talk to her…"

"I do," Henry said.

Emma nodded. "Then, we will find a way for you to talk to her."

Henry smiled and hugged Emma. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Henry."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **This chapter is influenced a bit by the new ABC promo. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

As Emma drove Henry to Regina's house, he realized that he actually felt nervous. He had seen his mom since the curse had broken, but everything had been so chaotic that they really hadn't talked much. Even though Henry had known for quite awhile that his mother was a witch, seeing her actually use magic had been a little shocking.

Still, Henry wasn't really afraid of Regina. He knew that she wouldn't hurt him, at least not on purpose. He had always known that she cared about him on some level, even if he didn't use to believe that she truly loved him.

As they pulled up in front of the house, Henry realized how much he missed it. It hadn't been that long since he lived there, but he had spent every night of his life there before the curse broke. It was actually odd to sleep in a different bed now. He missed his bedroom and all the things in it. He missed the view of the town from his window. He found himself still thinking of this house as home.

Henry looked around the yard as he and Emma walked up to the door. Everything looked impeccable again despite any messes the angry mob had made when they came up to the house to confront Regina. Henry was happy that his mom was okay. No matter what had happened between them, he wouldn't want her to get hurt…or killed. That idea really scared him. He hadn't really thought about what would happen to her when the curse was finally broken. He was actually grateful that Regina had magic back so that she could defend herself.

Emma rang the doorbell, and Henry fidgeted for a few seconds while they waited for Regina to come to the door. She answered the door in a gray suit.

"Hello, Henry," Regina said. She turned to Emma. "Thank for bringing my son over, Ms. Swan."

Emma nodded. "I will be picking Henry up at 3 like we talked about."

"Yes, I remember," Regina said. "Come in, Henry."

Henry went inside as Emma walked back to her car. He looked around as he walked to the living room. Everything looked exactly the same. He wasn't sure why he thought it would look different.

"Would you like some fresh lemonade, Henry?" Regina asked. "I have apple cider, too, but I thought there was a chance you might not want anything with apples in it."

"Lemonade would be good," Henry said.

Henry was surprised that his mother actually seemed a little nervous. He didn't think the mayor of Storybrooke, or the Evil Queen, ever got nervous.

Regina brought out a glass of lemonade and handed it to Henry.

"Thank you," Henry said.

Regina sat on the couch next to him.

"I'm making spaghetti for lunch," his mother said. "And your favorite brownies for dessert. I made quite a few, so you can take some with you when you leave."

Regina frowned a little and looked away. Henry had missed those brownies. He was starting to realize that he had missed her, too.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Thank you so much for the reviews! I always appreciate feedback. I know some of these chapters are a little short. It allows me to update more quickly, but let me know if you would prefer longer chapters but more time in between updates. Thanks again for reading and reviewing!

Henry and Regina sat in a rather awkward silence for a few moments.

"So, how have you been?" Henry asked.

It was a stupid question. In fact, it was such a stupid question that his mother smiled a bit.

"About as well as can be expected considering I no longer have my son."

Henry wasn't quite sure what to say to that. There were another few moments of awkward silence. Finally, Henry said, "Well, you have me right now."

Regina smiled a bit again. "For a little while."

That was when Henry noticed that there was one thing different about the room. There were several photo albums sitting on the coffee table.

"You brought out the photo albums?" Henry asked.

"I thought that maybe we could look through them. It's been awhile since we've done that."

Henry wasn't sure why Regina wanted to spend time going through a bunch of photos, but he hadn't worked up the nerve to talk to her about Daniel and Snow yet.

"Okay," he said.

Regina picked up the first photo album and opened it. The first page had pictures of Regina holding baby Henry.

"This was when I first adopted you," Regina said with a smile. "That was one of the happiest days of my life."

Regina turned the page, and Henry recognized the stuffed bear in the pictures.

"That bear is still sitting in the basement," Henry said.

"Yes, I couldn't throw that away," Regina said. "You loved that bear. 'Bear' was the first word you ever said."

"It was?"

Henry had never known what his first word was. He didn't even remember playing with that bear.

Regina nodded. "I kept trying to teach you 'mama,' but you learned 'bear' and 'ball' first. Then, you finally said 'mama.'"

Regina was still smiling as she continued flipping through the albums. There were numerous pictures of him from when he was a baby and a toddler. It looked like his mother had tried to capture every moment possible.

"Do you remember this, Henry?"

Regina was pointing to pictures of his sixth birthday party. Henry and the other kids had gotten to hit a piñata. It was one of the few times his mom had allowed him to eat candy.

"Yeah, that was fun," Henry said.

They looked at more pictures of Henry playing with other kids at the playground. Those pictures were taken before Henry realized that he was different from those other kids. It was when he could still make friends.

They had gotten most of the way through the albums. The pictures they were now looking at were of Henry's ninth birthday. He was sitting with his mom at the ice cream shop. Sheriff Graham had taken those pictures. The sheriff appeared in a few of them as well, and Regina flipped past those pages quickly.

They finished with a few more recent pictures of him and his mother sitting together at Granny's Diner. Henry was still smiling, but he knew that he wasn't as happy then. Those pictures were taken only a few days before he went to find Emma.

Regina closed the album and looked at Henry, her eyes a little bright.

"I haven't been such a terrible mother, have I?" she asked softly.

She didn't wait for an answer, though. She picked up the photo albums and put them away.

"Well, the spaghetti should be about ready," Regina said.

She walked into the kitchen, and Henry followed. Henry helped bring the food out to the table. He was thinking about the pictures they had just looked at. No, he couldn't say that Regina had been a terrible mother.

Regina poured lemonade into their glasses as Henry sat down. The spaghetti and garlic bread looked good. Henry had always liked his mother's spaghetti. The salad, on the other hand, didn't look that appealing to him. He wondered if she would force him to eat it like she usually did.

Regina sat down and began putting spaghetti on her plate. Henry did the same, and he even took a little bit of salad. Regina smiled when he did that.

"Emma said on the phone that you wanted to talk to me about something," Regina said.

Should he say it now? It was probably as good a time as any. Maybe Regina would be in a better mood while they were eating. Henry took a deep breath.

"Snow told me about Daniel."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Thank you very much for the reviews!

Regina stared at Henry. "Snow…what?"

"She told me how you saved her life, and how you loved Daniel and didn't want to marry her father."

Henry wasn't sure if he should go on or not. Regina got up and walked to the window. She stood there for a couple of minutes. Finally, she turned back toward him, and he couldn't read her expression.

"Did she tell you what happened after that?" she asked.

"Yes," Henry said, feeling even more nervous now.

Regina's voice had that tone that she sometimes had when she was angry but trying not to yell. He wasn't sure if he should continue, but his mother seemed to be waiting for him to speak.

"She said…that you made her promise not to tell her father and your mother about Daniel."

"And did she tell you that she didn't keep that promise?"

"Yes," Henry said softly. "She said that your mother ripped Daniel's heart out."

Regina crossed her arms and paced back and forth. "Why would she tell you all that? She had no right to tell you…not that that would stop_ her_."

"She told me because I asked her," Henry said.

Regina stopped and looked at him with surprise. "How would you know to ask about Daniel?"

"Well, I didn't," Henry said. "But, I asked if you had always been evil, and that's when Snow said you weren't always evil and told me that story."

Regina frowned and sat back down. "And why did you ask her that?"

"Because…because you told me that you loved me."

"But, I've told you that I loved you plenty of times, Henry."

"Yes, but I didn't believe you," Henry said.

The look on Regina's face right then was the same one she had in his hospital room that day. He wasn't used to seeing so much emotion from her.

"You didn't believe me?"

Henry shook his head. "Not until that day, I guess."

Regina looked down. Henry decided that maybe he could ask her more about Daniel.

"So you loved Daniel, too?"

Regina felt around for something with her hands, but then she folded her hands and put them on the table. "Yes, I loved him very much. We were going to get married."

"But your mother didn't want you to marry him?"

Regina shook her head. "Daniel was only a stable boy. She wanted me to be a queen."

"So, she got what she wanted then?"

Regina frowned. "Yes, I suppose she did."

"What were you looking for just now?" Henry was curious what Regina had been feeling around for.

"I was looking for the ring that Daniel gave me…but I don't have it anymore."

"What happened to it?"

Regina shook her head. "I lost it."

Henry frowned. "Have you looked for it?"

Regina smiled sadly. "It's not here."

Henry decided to ask something he had been curious about since Snow had mentioned Daniel's name.

"So…am I named after Daniel, then? My middle name, I mean?"

Regina nodded. "Yes, I named you after my father and Daniel."

"What happened to your father? He isn't here in Storybrooke, is he?"

"No, he's not," Regina said. She paused for a moment. "He passed away shortly before I enacted the curse. He had…heart problems."

Henry wasn't sure if he wanted to ask anymore about that. He knew that what he was going to say next might make her angry, but he had to say it.

"Snow is really sorry about breaking that promise," Henry said. "She was really sad when she was telling me that story."

"Saying 'I'm sorry' doesn't mean anything," Regina said, her voice hardening. "It won't bring Daniel back. I trusted her, and she betrayed me."

"But hating her won't bring him back either," Henry said. "And if 'I'm sorry' doesn't mean anything, then why did you say it to me?"

Regina raised her eyebrows. "You heard that? When you were asleep?"

Henry nodded. "Well, I was sort of asleep, but I could hear everything that everybody was saying. So, I could hear you saying you were sorry, and I could hear that guy you were talking to. Who is that guy anyway? He didn't sound very happy with you."

"His name is Jefferson, and no, he wasn't very happy with me." Regina leaned forward and put her hand on his arm. "I meant it, though, Henry. I would never hurt you."

"But you would hurt my mom?" Henry said, his voice rising. Regina flinched a little when he said "my mom." "That hurts me, too!"

"I was just trying to put Emma to sleep for awhile," Regina said. "I didn't want her to take you away from me."

"Well, that didn't work very well," Henry said.

"No, it didn't," Regina said softly. "Did you come here to yell at me?"

"No," Henry said. "I came here because I still thought there might be good in you."

Regina looked at Henry for a few moments. "Do you still think that?"

"Maybe," Henry said. "You love me, right?"

"More than anything."

"Well, then there still has to be some good in you," Henry said.

Regina smiled a little, though it seemed to Henry that it was a sad smile.

"We better eat," his mother said. "The spaghetti is getting cold."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Henry and Regina didn't talk much as they ate their spaghetti. Henry was having trouble deciding what to say next to her.

"After we're done eating, we can go up to your room so that you can get a few of your things," Regina said. "I'm sure you must miss your comic books."

"Yeah, I do," Henry said. "Thanks."

Henry was glad that Regina had said that because he had been thinking that he wanted some things from his room, but he wasn't sure how to ask. He didn't want his mother to think that was the main reason he had come there.

Regina brought out the brownies after they were through with dinner. Henry had really missed those brownies. He wasn't supposed to eat candy (thought he sometimes did anyway), but Regina occasionally baked good desserts.

"When did you learn to bake?" Henry asked.

It didn't seem like she would have been cooking or baking much when she had servants to do that before.

Regina smiled. "I had a lot of time on my hands before I adopted you, and baking was one of the many things I learned to do."

Henry nodded. It must have been odd to be the only one aware of everything while time was frozen for 28 years.

After they had finished dessert, they went upstairs to Henry's room. He still thought of it as his room, even if he didn't live there anymore. Regina hadn't changed anything in it, either.

"You haven't turned this room into an office or a game room or anything," Henry said.

Regina frowned. "Of course not. Why would I do that? It's your room. It will always be your room."

Henry realized that he was glad it was still his room. He looked around for what he wanted to take with him the most.

First, he picked up a few of his favorite comic books. Then, he started looking through the toys. He saw the "Star Wars" toys, including miniature versions of Darth Vader and Han Solo's ship, the Millennium Falcon. It gave him an idea for a new mission. He could call it "Operation Falcon."

The doorbell rang.

"Why did she have to get here early?" Regina asked. "I still have five more minutes with you."

Henry just shrugged.

"I will go downstairs and let Emma in," Regina said. "You can finish looking around for things you want to take with you."

"Okay," Henry said.

Regina paused at the door to his room. She stood there for a moment before coming over to Henry and giving him a hug.

"I love you, Henry," she said. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you, too," Henry said as Regina pulled away to look at him, her eyes a little bright again. "Maybe we could go out for ice cream or something."

Regina smiled. "I would like that."

The doorbell rang again, and Regina walked out of Henry's bedroom. Henry finished gathering up the things he wanted to take and went downstairs.

Regina and Emma stopped talking as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Henry assumed they had been talking about him.

"Regina says that you want to spend more time with her," Emma said.

Henry nodded. "I thought that maybe we could go out for ice cream. We used to do that sometimes."

Emma nodded. "I don't have a problem with that. Are you ready to get going, kid?"

"Yep," Henry said.

They agreed that he and Regina would meet at the ice cream shop on Tuesday. Regina stood at the door watching while Henry got into Emma's car.

"So, did you have a good talk?" Emma asked.

"Yeah," Henry said.

"That's good."

Emma was probably looking for more information than that, but Henry wasn't really ready to talk about his conversation with Regina yet.

"I want to go see Archie tomorrow," Henry said as they pulled away from the house.

"Okay," Emma said. "Are you missing the sessions you used to have with him?"

"I just want to talk to him about something," Henry said.

Tomorrow, the first phase of Operation Falcon could begin.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Thank you for reading and reviewing!

The next day, Emma dropped Henry off at Archie's familiar office. Henry hadn't had an appointment with Archie since the curse broke, and he actually missed talking to him. If Archie agreed to help him with his new mission, they would be talking a lot more.

"Hi, Henry," Archie said as Henry sat down. "It's good to see you again. What can I help you with?"

"I was hoping to talk to you about something," Henry said. "And, I need to make sure you're not going to tell anybody else what I say, at least not yet."

Archie frowned a little. "All right, Henry. I won't tell anybody what we talk about today."

Henry nodded. "Good."

"So, is this about your family?" Archie asked.

"Yes," Henry replied. "Archie, you believe that there is good in everybody, right?"

Archie hesitated for a moment before replying. "Yes, at least I would like to believe that."

Henry wished that Archie had sounded a little more certain because he would need his help for his plan to work. He had already decided that he would have to tell Archie everything.

"Snow told me that my mom used to be a good person, that she had once saved her life," Henry said. "She said that she didn't want to marry Snow's father and loved this stable boy named Daniel. She made Snow promise to keep it a secret, and when she broke that promise, her mother killed Daniel."

"Oh, Henry, that's a very sad story," Archie said. "I'm sure Snow must have been very young."

"Yes, she was, but my mom has hated her ever since," Henry said. "Snow is really sorry about it, though."

"I'm sure she is," Archie said.

"Anyway, I believe there is still good in my mom."

Archie frowned. "Henry…"

"I know that she has done a lot of bad things," Henry said. "But, she loves me, and if she's capable of love, then there must still be good in her."

"Well, maybe there still is, deep down," Archie said. "But, Henry, I don't want you to get…"

"You don't want me to get my hopes up," Henry interrupted. "I have heard that from everybody. I know that there's a chance that I won't be able to help my mom, but I think that I'm the only person who can. And, I need your help."

"What is it you're planning to do, Henry?" Archie asked.

"Well, I think that in order for my mom to find the good in herself, she has to forgive Snow White," Henry said. "And, that's where you come in."

Archie looked concerned. "Henry, I don't think there is much I can do to help them. There is a lot of bad history there."

"I know," Henry said, "but I think that you can help them work through it."

"Henry, I don't have a real degree, you know," Archie said. "I'm not a licensed psychologist. I'm really not qualified to try to repair a relationship this…difficult."

"But, you've been doing this for 28 years," Henry argued. "And even if you don't have a degree, you have a lot of experience talking to people."

"Henry, how would we even get them to agree to something like that?" Archie asked. "Snow, maybe, but Regina…"

"That's my job," Henry said, "and I know it's not going to be easy. It will probably take a while. But, wouldn't it be worth it?"

Archie sighed. "I would love to believe that it's possible, Henry, but I'm worried that this could just make it worse."

"How could it be worse?" Henry asked. "My mom has already tried to kill Snow and cursed a whole bunch of people to get revenge. Isn't that as bad as it gets?"

"Good point."

"Anyway, it's worth a try," Henry said. "Luke Skywalker helped his father, and I believe that I can help my mother."

"Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader are fictional characters, Henry."

Why did everyone keep saying that? "Yes, and so were Geppetto and Jiminy Cricket."

Archie nodded. "I suppose you have a point."

"Anyway, this mission is called Operation Falcon."

"Ah, named for 'Star Wars.' Clever."

Henry liked that Archie knew that it came from "Star Wars." He had talked so much with Archie that he may have known Henry better than anybody.

"So, will you help, Archie?"

Archie smiled. "I will help you, Henry, as long as you understand that this mission of yours might not succeed."

Henry nodded. "I understand."

"All right, then," Archie said. "Keep me posted on your progress."

"I will," Henry said. "Thanks, Archie."

Henry was smiling as he left Archie's office. He was happy that Archie was on board. However, the next step was the hardest. How was he going to even get his mother to be willing to talk to Snow White? He had to start that tough part of Operation Falcon tomorrow.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Emma, Snow, and Charming had been talking about Henry a lot lately, and it was starting to get on his nerves. Snow and Charming weren't happy about Henry seeing Regina again so soon. Henry was once again overhearing a conversation about himself.

"You don't know Regina like I do, Emma," Snow said. "I'm afraid that Henry is going to get hurt."

"I don't think that Regina would ever hurt Henry…not on purpose, at least," Emma said.

"No, I don't necessarily think she would, either," Snow said. "But, Henry is going to be hurt if he can't get Regina to change…and I'm not sure she can change anymore. Not after everything that's happened."

"We still don't know what exactly Regina said to Henry," Charming said. "We don't know what Regina might be planning."

Henry frowned. He was the one planning something, and that was starting to look more and more difficult. He had been worried about getting Regina to talk to Snow, but what if Snow refused to forgive Regina?

"Look, I have some concerns about Henry meeting with Regina, too, but she's been his mother for a long time," Emma said. "I think that Henry needs this. He needs her in his life."

"I'm not against them talking, as long as we can make sure that Regina doesn't try anything," Snow said. "But, I don't think that Henry is being realistic about Regina's ability to be a better person. She has done a lot of bad things, and I'm still worried about what she might do in the future."

Henry didn't want to listen to them anymore. He had heard enough of people not believing in him. Well, nobody had believed Henry about the curse, either. He was right about that, and he really believed that he was right now, too.

He went back to his room and grabbed a comic book. He sat on his bed and tried to get into the Avengers story. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"Can I come in?" Emma asked.

"Yeah."

"What are you reading?" Emma asked as she sat down next to Henry on his bed.

"The Avengers," Henry replied.

"Henry, would you mind telling me more about what you and Regina talked about the other day?"

Henry sighed. He couldn't tell Emma about his plans, not yet.

"I just told her about what Snow said, and she was upset at first, but then she talked a little bit about Daniel," Henry said. "She told me that she loved me again and that she missed me. She also gave me some brownies."

"Yes, I had one of those brownies," Emma said. "I have to admit, Regina is good at baking. I won't be eating any of her apple turnovers, though."

Henry smiled a little. "Yeah, I don't think I will eat any more of those, either."

"So, there wasn't anything else?" Emma asked. "Did Regina suggest that you see her again today?"

Henry was getting annoyed. "No, it was my idea."

"Okay," Emma said. "You have to understand, Henry, this is a tough situation. We want you to be able to see Regina, but we don't really trust her either."

"I know," Henry said.

"I'll take you to the ice cream shop in a little while, but I need you to be honest about anything Regina says," Emma said.

Henry was starting to worry that they might not even let him talk to Regina anymore if he didn't tell Emma everything. There was no way his plan would work if he couldn't even see Regina.

"I will," Henry said.

"Good," Emma said. "I'll let you finish your comic book."

Henry didn't feel like reading right now. Why did everything have to be so complicated? He got up and looked out the window at the town. He hoped that Regina wouldn't do anything else to make everybody angry. If she did, he might not be allowed to see her again. He stood there until Emma came and knocked on his door again.

"Are you ready to go, kid?" Emma asked.

"Yep," Henry said.

Snow and Charming were both frowning as he followed Emma out the door, but neither of them said anything. Henry thought about what he planned to say to his mom when he got to the ice cream shop. If Henry was lucky, Regina would agree to the first part of his plan.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: ** Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Regina was already sitting at a table when Henry arrived at the ice cream shop. She smiled at him as he walked over to the table.

"You haven't ordered anything yet?" Henry asked as he sat down.

"No, I was waiting for you," Regina replied. "Did you want a butterscotch sundae?"

That was what Henry frequently ordered when they came to this place.

"Sure," he said.

Regina walked up to the counter and came back with Henry's sundae and a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream for herself.

"Thanks," Henry said.

Now that he was here, he was feeling a little nervous again. How was he supposed to bring up his plan for them to talk to Archie? He had an idea of how to do it, but he was worried that it might just make Regina upset.

"So, how is your summer going?" Regina asked.

"It's going okay," Henry said.

"Have you done anything fun?"

Henry shrugged. "I've mostly just been reading and hanging out at the arcade."

They both ate their ice cream in silence for a couple of minutes.

"It's nice to be back here again," Regina said. "You've had a few good birthday parties here. Do you remember the time we ordered scoops of all the different flavors?"

Henry smiled. "Yeah, that was fun. I never knew there were so many different kinds of ice cream."

Regina smiled. "Henry, there is something that I would like to show you."

Henry was curious. "What is it? Did you bring it with you?"

Regina shook her head.

"I can't show you right now," she said. "There's someplace that I have to take you."

Henry frowned. There was no way that Emma, Snow, and Charming were going to let Regina take him anyplace unless one of them was going, too.

"Can Emma come along?" Henry asked.

"No, Henry, it's something from my past," Regina said, "and I don't want to show anybody but you."

Henry was very curious about what she wanted to show him, but he remembered Snow and Charming's concerns that Regina was planning something. What if she was?

"You'll have to tell me where we're going so that I can tell Emma, Snow, and Charming," Henry said.

Regina frowned. "They won't want me to take you anywhere. You can just tell them that you're going to the arcade."

"I can't lie to them," Henry said.

"Oh, so it's okay to lie to me but not to them?"

"I don't want to lie to anyone!"

Henry saw the shop owner staring at them and realized that he was yelling. He and Regina both finished their ice cream in silence.

Henry checked his watch and realized that he needed to say what he came here to say now. Emma would be by to pick him up in just a few minutes.

"So, you know how you accidentally poisoned me?"

Regina gave him a pained look. "Henry, I already apologized to you for that. You know how terrible I feel. There's nothing else I can do."

"Maybe there is," Henry said. "I know a way that you can make it up to me."

Regina raised her eyebrows. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to go with me to talk to Archie," Henry said. "He might be able to help us."

"Help us with what?"

"You know…help us have a better relationship or whatever."

Regina crossed her arms. "Why do we need Archie's help? Whose idea was this?"

Henry was getting frustrated. "It was mine."

"Henry, I don't need therapy," Regina said. "And, Archie isn't even a real therapist. He's a cricket."

"Oh, but I needed therapy for knowing about the curse? You tried to make me think I was crazy!"

Henry knew that he was yelling again, but he didn't care.

"Henry, I just wanted you to talk to someone…"

"Why? Because I knew the truth? Because I knew who you really were, all the terrible things you had done? Do you have any idea what it's like to be the only kid getting older? To find out that everything in your life is a lie?"

There were tears in Regina's eyes now.

"Henry, I was just trying to protect you."

"No, you were just trying to protect yourself!"

Henry was crying as he got up and headed for the door.

"Henry!" Regina called after him.

Henry didn't turn around. He ran out the door and along the sidewalk. Emma's yellow Volkswagen was coming down the street. She stopped the car, and Henry climbed inside.

"Henry, are you okay?" Emma asked. "What happened? What did Regina say to you?"

Henry just shook his head and looked out the window. He didn't want to talk about the failure of his new mission.

When they got home, Henry told Emma, Snow, and Charming what Regina had said to him about showing him something.

"I don't know what it was, though," Henry said.

Emma, Snow, and Charming exchanged looks.

"Henry, you might wonder why I was asking you so many questions earlier," Emma said. "We have been hearing that Regina might be planning something, and we were afraid of you possibly getting in the middle of it. I don't know if whatever Regina was going to show you had anything to do with it, but I'm glad that you told us."

"What could she be planning?" Henry asked.

A loud noise shook the house, and they all rushed outside to see what it was. There was smoke pouring from someplace across town. Whatever Regina was planning, it seemed that it was happening right now.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Thank you for reading and reviewing!

"I have to go down there," Emma said as more smoke rose into the air.

"I'm coming with you," Charming said.

"Can I help?" Henry asked. He knew that they wouldn't let him, but he hated having to stay here and wonder what was happening.

"No, you can stay here with me, Henry," Snow said. "Be careful, both of you. I think Regina might be fighting Rumplestiltskin again."

Emma nodded. "That's what I'm guessing, too. All of the things we have been hearing about them were probably plans to fight each other. Hopefully nobody else will get caught in the crossfire."

Emma and Charming left as Snow ushered Henry back into the house. He hated feeling so helpless. He was worried about Emma and Charming, but he couldn't help worrying about Regina, too. She and Rumplestiltskin had been in a fight shortly after the curse broke, but it already looked like this would be worse. What if she got hurt? Or worse, what if Rumplestiltskin killed her? What if the awful things he yelled at her were the last things he ever said to her? Henry swore to himself that if Regina survived this, he would tell her that he loved her. Despite everything that had happened between them, he had been coming to realize that he still really cared about her.

"I'll make some hot chocolate," Snow said as she went to the cupboards.

Henry knew that Snow would rather be helping Emma and Charming, but somebody had to stay with him. He was sure that she was worried about them, but he wondered if she was worried at all about Regina or if she would actually prefer it if she were gone.

Snow came over with the hot chocolate and cinnamon.

"Here you go, Henry," she said.

"Thanks," he said. "Snow, what would you do if something happened to my mom—Regina, I mean? Would you be sad, or are things so bad between you that you would be happy to have her gone?"

Snow shook her head. "Henry, despite everything that has happened with me and Regina, I don't want her to die. Certainly, for your sake, I wouldn't want anything to happen to her."

Henry took a sip of his cocoa. "Do you think there is any way you can forgive her?"

Snow frowned. "I think…if Regina were to stop going after me and the people I love, I could forgive her for what she's done in the past. The problem is, she won't give up on her need for revenge. Even here in Storybrooke, she framed me for Kathryn's disappearance and did everything she could to keep me and Charming apart."

"You don't think there is any way she'll stop going after you?"

Snow set her cocoa down. "I wish that I thought she would. But, she cast a curse on all these people just to punish me. And, even after 28 years, she's still trying to make me miserable. I just don't think it will ever be enough for her."

Henry frowned. Snow really made it sound so hopeless. Even after all these years, Regina still hated Snow. At least Snow had said that she could forgive Regina. How could he get Regina to put the past behind her, though? Of course, that all depended on Regina surviving this fight with Rumplestiltskin, but he didn't want to think about that.

"Did you ever talk to her about everything? About Daniel and how sorry you are?"

"Well, I didn't know about Daniel's death for a long time," Snow said. "I actually thought that she hated me for a different reason. She loved somebody else while she was married to my father, or at least I thought she did, and the end to that was my fault as well. I wrote an apology to her and gave it to the Huntsman to give to her, but it obviously didn't help anything. When she finally told me about Daniel's death, I think that it was too late for apologies, though I tried."

"Was she ever a good stepmother?"

"Sometimes she was, but I could always tell that she was very unhappy," Snow said. "I didn't really know what to do for her, and I believe that I made it worse."

Henry was still glancing out the window to try to make out what was going on. There was less smoke now, and it at least looked like things might have calmed down.

"Do you want to watch something on TV?" Snow asked. "I think that we could use a distraction."

"Sure," Henry said.

Snow flipped through the channels, and they settled on an old episode of "The Cosby Show." They both only half-watched the show and kept looking out the window. Finally, Emma and Charming arrived back home.

"What happened? Is everyone okay?" Henry asked as he ran to the door.

Emma and Charming both looked very tired.

"Well, a couple of people were injured, though thankfully not too badly," Emma said. "Regina and Rumplestiltskin are both fine, but several buildings aren't."

Henry was relieved that Emma, Charming, and Regina were all okay, but it sounded like the fight must have been pretty bad.

"So the injuries weren't serious?" Snow asked. "How bad is the damage?"

"No, both of the injuries were minor," Charming said. "People know to get out of the way when Regina and Rumplestiltskin start fighting. We haven't even had a chance to assess all the damage yet."

Emma leaned down and put her hand on Henry's shoulder.

"Henry, I think it's best if you don't see Regina again for awhile. It's just too dangerous right now."

Henry just nodded. He couldn't really argue, but he had to find a way to at least tell Regina that he loved her before it was too late.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Thank you very much for all the reviews! I really appreciate it.

Henry was reading one of his comic books again, but his mind kept wandering. It had been three days since he had seen Regina, and he kept thinking about his last conversation with her. He had been upset, but he hated that he had yelled at her and then hadn't gotten to see her again.

A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.

"Come in," Henry said.

Emma walked into the room.

"Henry, I got a call from Archie," she said. "Apparently, Regina came to see him. She wanted to make an appointment for the three of you to talk."

"Really?" Henry was surprised. She had seemed so against the idea of seeing Archie. That was only the first big step of his plan, but now he had hope that his new mission might actually be successful.

"Yes," Emma said. "Archie said that it was your idea."

"Yeah, it was," Henry said. "I thought that Archie might be able to help."

"Help you and Regina with your relationship, or help Regina be a better person?"

"Both," Henry said.

He wasn't sure if he should mention yet that he was also hoping for forgiveness between Regina and Snow. That might take a while, after all.

Emma nodded. "It's not a bad idea, Henry, but you do realize that Archie isn't technically a licensed therapist, right?"

"Yes," Henry said. "But, he still has a lot of experience talking to people, and he has worked as a therapist for 28 years."

Emma nodded. "I'm sure that he could still be helpful. I just don't want you to expect any miracles, Henry. Regina might be able to change, but it won't happen overnight."

"I know," Henry said.

He knew that everyone was trying to protect him, but he was still getting tired of hearing the same things over and over again.

"Okay," Emma said. "Archie says that he can see you both later this afternoon."

"So we can do this today?"

Henry had been thinking that Emma would make him wait quite a while before he could see Regina again even with Archie being there.

"Yes, I think it will be fine," Emma said.

"Thank you, Emma," Henry said, giving her a hug.

"You're welcome, Henry," Emma said. "I really hope that Archie is able to help."

"I do, too," Henry said.

Now he had a few hours to think about what he wanted to say. He was excited to really be getting to work on Operation Falcon.

The afternoon went by quickly. Henry overheard Emma, Snow, and Charming talking about him again a few minutes before it was time to go. Charming didn't like the idea of Henry seeing Regina at all, even with Archie there.

"With this war going on between Regina and Rumplestiltskin, I really don't think Henry should be around her," Charming said.

"Archie will be there," Emma said. "I really don't think that Gold is going to storm into their session and kidnap Henry."

"I do like the idea of Regina talking to Archie," Snow said. "I think that might be good for her. But, I'm still a little worried about Henry being there."

As Henry walked into the living room, they all stopped talking.

"Are you ready to go, Henry?" Emma asked.

"Yep," Henry said.

As Emma drove him to Archie's office, Henry had a good feeling about their upcoming talk. He really felt that Archie could help make Operation Falcon a success.

Archie met Henry and Emma outside his office.

"Thank you for agreeing to this, Emma," Archie said.

Emma nodded. "I will be around if there are any problems."

"I'm sure everything will be fine," Archie said. "Do you want to come into my office, Henry? Regina is already here."

"Okay," Henry said.

Regina was sitting on the couch as he walked in.

"Hello, Henry," she said with a smile.

"Hi, Mom," Henry said. "Thanks for agreeing to this."

"Well, I wanted to see you, so I knew I had to come here," Regina said.

She had her hands folded in her lap. Henry thought that she actually looked a little nervous.

Archie closed the door. "Shall we get started?"


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Thank you so much for the reviews!

Henry was feeling nervous about this session with Archie. He knew that it was the first step of his plan, but he was still worried that it wouldn't go well. Would Archie make it obvious that Henry had already told him about Regina's past? Would his mother really listen to what Archie had to say?

"Today is just a short session," Archie said. "We just want to talk about where your relationship stands now and how we might move forward."

Henry and Regina both just nodded.

"Now, I know that things have been difficult between you for awhile," Archie said. "But, at one time, you had a good relationship."

"Yes," Regina said. She looked at Henry. "We did, didn't we?"

Henry nodded. "Yeah, we used to get along pretty well. That was before I figured out that nobody aged and that Mom was the Evil Queen."

Regina frowned but didn't say anything.

"That was part of the issue," Archie said. "Certainly, the lies made it difficult for you to have a healthy parent-child relationship."

"I was trying to protect him," Regina said. "I wanted Henry to have a normal life."

"How could I have a normal life in a cursed town where time is frozen?" Henry asked.

"These are certainly issues we will have to address in future sessions," Archie said. "First, though, I have a fundamental question I have to ask you, Regina."

"Yes?"

"Do you want to change?" Archie asked.

"People are never going to let me change," Regina said. "No matter what I do, people will always see me as the Evil Queen."

"That's not what I asked, though," Archie said. "I asked if you wanted to change."

Regina frowned. "Why does it matter if I want to change if it's not possible anyway?"

"Intentions matter a great deal, Regina," Archie said. "Do you want to know what I think?"

"Oh, do you have great psychological insight for me?"

Archie smiled. "It might not be great, but I do have a little insight. I think that you don't want to be the Evil Queen. I think that every day, you look in the mirror, and you hate what you see. But, you don't know how to change, and you don't know if it's possible, so you're scared to try."

"Oh, did you get that from your fake college education?"

"No, I got it from my own experience," Archie said. "I once wasn't a very good person myself."

"Really? You?" Regina gave him a look of disbelief.

Archie looked at Henry, and he nodded and smiled. It would be good for Regina to hear Archie's story.

"Yes, I used to be a conman and a thief," Archie said. "My parents and I did a lot of bad things. We stole from good people. I kept doing things that I knew were wrong because I couldn't stand up to my parents. Finally, I went to Rumplestiltskin looking for a permanent solution to my problem. He gave me a potion, but instead of killing my parents, I killed somebody else's…Geppetto's."

Regina looked at Archie with surprise. Henry put his hand on Archie's arm and tried to give him an encouraging smile. Archie had tears in his eyes, and when he finally spoke again, he sounded choked up.

"I will never make up for the things I've done, but I try, and that counts for something," Archie said. "It is possible to change, Regina. So, I'm asking you one last time, do you want to change?"

Regina was silent for a few moments. She looked down at her hands in her lap. Finally, she looked up at Archie.

"Yes," she said. "I want to change."

Regina turned to Henry and put her hand on his arm.

"I want to be someone you can love, Henry."

"I do love you," Henry said.

Regina stared at him, her eyes wide.

"You do?" she asked softly.

"Of course I do," Henry said. "But, I still want you to change. I need you to try. I really do believe that you can be a better person."

Regina smiled with tears in her eyes. She hugged Henry.

"I love you, too, Henry."

Regina was still smiling at Henry as they pulled away from each other. Henry smiled back. Archie waited a few more moments before he spoke.

"Regina, I believe that you can change, too," Archie said. "However, you are correct that some people will always see you as the Evil Queen. But, if you work at being a better person, Henry won't see you that way. I won't see you that way. And, there are plenty of other people who will come to see that you've changed, too."

Regina nodded. "What do I have to do?"

"Well, it's not going to be easy," Archie said. "I would recommend private sessions with me in addition to the sessions with Henry."

Regina looked at Henry. He smiled encouragingly. Finally, Regina nodded.

"All right," she said. "You really believe that it's possible for me to be a better person?"

"Yes, I do," Archie said. "Especially when you're doing it for someone you love."

Regina nodded. "All right. I will do whatever you recommend."

"I'm glad to hear that, Regina," Archie said.

"So am I," Henry said.

He smiled at his mom again, and she smiled back.

Archie glanced at the clock.

"Well, we're about out of time," he said. "Regina, would tomorrow at 3 work for a private session?"

Regina hesitated for a moment, but then she nodded. "That would be fine."

"Good," Archie said. "Then, you can have a session together on Wednesday, as long as Emma says it's all right."

There was a knock on the door, and Henry knew that it must be Emma.

"Thank you both for coming," Archie said as Regina and Henry both stood up.

Archie opened the door, and Emma came into the office. Regina walked up to her.

"Thank you for allowing this, Miss Swan…Emma," Regina said.

Emma nodded. "You're welcome, Regina."

Regina smiled again at Henry and walked out of the office.

"Do you mind if I talk to Henry for a minute, Emma?" Archie asked.

"Sure, that's fine," Emma said. "I'll wait out in the hall."

"She's willing to try to change," Henry said as soon as Emma shut the door.

Archie smiled. "Yes, and that's great, but Henry, you do need to realize that this will likely take awhile—possibly a long time. I imagine there will be a lot to work through."

"I know," Henry said.

"And, Henry, it will be awhile before it's a good idea for Regina and Snow to talk about the past. Forgiveness doesn't come easily with a history like that."

"Yes, I know," Henry said. "But, this is still a really good first step, right?"

Archie smiled. "Yes, it's a good first step."

Henry was smiling as he left Archie's office.

"So, I take it your session went well?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, it did," Henry said.

Operation Falcon was going to be a success. Henry just knew it.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Thank you very much for the reviews!

Henry felt a little nervous as he sat on the couch and waited for Emma to come home. He had decided that it was time to tell Emma, Snow, and Charming about his plan. He had thought about talking to Snow privately about it, but then Snow would just tell Charming and Emma about it when he wasn't around. He figured he might as well tell them all at once.

Henry waited for a few minutes after Emma walked in before he talked to them.

"Emma? Snow? Charming? I want to talk to you about something," Henry said.

The three of them all glanced at each other.

"Okay, Henry," Emma said. "What did you want to talk to us about?"

"Maybe you should sit down first," Henry suggested.

They all frowned at each other, but they sat down.

"What is it, Henry?" Snow asked. "Is something wrong?"

Henry shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong. It's just that I've had this idea for awhile, and I need all of you to agree to it for it to really work. I'm actually calling it Operation Falcon."

Emma smiled. "Another mission?"

Henry nodded. "Yeah. You all know about the sessions with my mom and Archie."

"Yes," Snow replied. "I think it's good that Regina is talking to someone."

"It's good that you're having sessions together, too," Emma said. "I'm sure that will be good for both of you."

"Well, I'm trying to help Mom be a good person again," Henry said. "In order to do that, she and Snow would have to forgive each other."

Snow frowned. "Henry, like I told you, I could forgive Regina if she stopped going after us. But, I really don't think that Regina will ever forgive me. She just hates me too much."

"That's why I want you to have a session with Archie together," Henry said.

Snow raised her eyebrows.

"Henry, I don't think that's a very good idea. That could go…badly."

"I don't mean right away," Henry said. "It would be after Mom and Archie had some sessions with each other. Then, you two could talk with his help."

Emma, Snow, and Charming were all frowning.

"Does Archie know about your plan, Henry?" Emma asked.

Henry nodded. "Yes, he does. He wasn't sure about it at first, but eventually he agreed."

"I take it Regina doesn't know about this, though?" Snow asked. "I can't imagine her agreeing to it."

"No, not yet," Henry said. "I'll tell her when she's ready. For everything to get better, everyone needs to forgive each other."

Charming got up from his chair and stood behind the couch. "Well, I can't forgive Regina for everything she's done to our family. Look, I'm sorry, Henry. I know that you want everyone to get along, but sometimes that's just not possible."

Charming looked at Emma and Snow. "Do either of you think that Regina will change just because of a few sessions with Archie? Look at all the things she's done!"

"Yes, she's done a lot of terrible things…to us, to everyone," Snow said. "But, if she's trying to change…"

"Archie isn't even a real therapist," Charming argued.

"Maybe not, but he has a lot of experience talking to people," Henry said.

Nobody seemed to be listening to him, though.

"I don't think it's possible for someone as evil as she is to change," Charming said.

"People can change," Emma said. "She's still been Henry's mother for ten years. If there's a way to help her, then we should."

"She was a good person at one time," Snow said.

"That was a very long time ago," Charming said. "I'm still not sure Henry should be spending time with her."

"I'm right here!" Henry said. "Shouldn't that be my decision?"

"I don't know if Regina can really change or not," Snow said. "But, it's good that she's trying, at least."

"If she's even really trying," Charming said. "It might just be a way to get Henry back."

Henry was tired of everybody arguing like he wasn't even there. He ran to his room and sat on his bed, sulking. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"Can I come in?" Emma asked.

"Yeah," Henry said.

Emma sat down on the bed next to him.

"I'm sorry that we were all just arguing," Emma said. "It's not a bad idea to get everyone talking, Henry. But, there's a lot of bad history there. Making things better isn't going to be easy."

Henry sighed. "I know that. I wish everyone would stop saying the same things to me over and over again."

"Sorry," Emma said. "I guess that would get annoying. I do think the sessions with you, Regina, and Archie are a good idea. I don't know if bringing Mary Margaret into them would work so well, but we'll have to wait and see."

Henry nodded. It seemed that Operation Falcon might take longer than Operation Cobra. There wasn't any hurry, though. He was determined that eventually the mission would be successful.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Henry wasn't sure when Regina and Snow could have a session together with Archie, but he had his own session with Regina today. He wondered what Archie would have them talk about.

"Are you ready to go to your session, Henry?" Emma asked.

"Yep," Henry said.

As he rode with Emma to Archie's office, Henry wondered how Regina's private session with Archie went. He wanted to ask Archie about it, but he knew that Archie wouldn't tell him anything.

"I hope your session goes well," Emma said as she dropped Henry off.

"Thanks, Emma."

Regina was already sitting on the couch as Henry walked into Archie's office. She smiled at him.

"Hi, Henry," she said.

"Hi, Mom," Henry said as he sat down next to her.

"All right," Archie said as he opened his notebook. "Should we get started?"

Regina and Henry both nodded.

"First, we'll talk about your relationship before you found out the truth about your mother, Henry," Archie said. "You've both said that you got along well."

"Yes, we had a good relationship," Regina said. She looked at Henry.

"Yeah," Henry said. "When I was little, I didn't know there was anything wrong with the town."

"When did you start to notice that, Henry?" Archie asked.

Henry frowned. It was hard to pinpoint when exactly he knew there was something odd about Storybrooke.

"Well, it's weird," Henry said. "I had friends when I was little, but then I started having more trouble finding anybody to play with. I didn't really understand why. I guess the curse sort of affected me in some way because I couldn't really figure out that the other kids weren't aging."

Archie nodded. "I know that when you first came to me, we talked about the trouble you were having making friends."

Henry nodded. "I knew that I was unhappy, and I kind of knew there was something wrong. But, I thought there was something wrong with me. Especially since Mom sent me to you."

Regina was looking at him sadly. "Henry, I didn't mean to make you so miserable. I suppose I thought that Archie could just make you feel better somehow, without you having to learn the truth."

Henry turned toward her. "I like talking to Archie, but he couldn't help me when he was cursed himself. I could never figure out why I felt so out of place."

"And then Mary Margaret gave you the book," Archie said.

Henry nodded. "That's when everything finally started to make sense. I knew why I couldn't make friends, why it always felt like there was something off about Storybrooke and all the people in it. And, I started to think that maybe there was something better out there for me, someplace where I really belonged."

"But, you've always had a home, Henry," Regina said. "With me. I never wanted you to feel like you didn't belong."

"I know," Henry said, tuning toward his mom. "But, I was miserable, and I was the only one who knew what was going on besides you. When I figured out you were behind it all, I was really angry, and I felt really alone."

"And that's when you decided to find your birth mother," Archie said.

"Yeah," Henry said. "I knew that Mom would just keep acting like nothing was wrong, and I needed someone who would listen to me. When I found out Emma's name, I knew that I was right about the curse because she was in the book."

"You never told me about the book," Regina said. "I had to find out about it from Emma."

"That's because I knew you would lie about it and act like I was crazy," Henry said, his voice rising a bit. "You had been lying to me my whole life."

There were tears in Regina's eyes now. "You still could have talked to me. I'm your mother. Instead, you went to find a different mother."

"That wasn't why I went to find Emma," Henry said. "I knew that finding her was the only way the truth would come out. She was the only one who could break the curse. I mean, I thought that everything would change right away and the curse would break immediately, and that didn't happen. But, I knew that Emma would help me. You would just keep lying to me if I talked to you."

"You still should have talked to me about it," Regina said softly. "You could have told me how you were feeling."

"I tried, before I got the book," Henry said. "You sent me to Archie. I knew I couldn't trust you after I found out the truth."

"Okay," Archie said. "This is good. It's good that you are finally talking about all of this. Now, let's talk about what happened after you went to find Emma, Henry."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** Thank you very much for the reviews and for continuing to read my story! There likely will only be a few more chapters. I've thought about doing a companion story from Regina's point of view sometime.

Regina frowned. "I was so worried about Henry that day. When I found out he wasn't in school, I was a little concerned. Then, after we looked all over town and couldn't find him…I was so afraid of what might happen to him. I still hate thinking about all of the things that could have happened to Henry when he went off to Boston on his own."

Henry felt a little guilty.

"I guess I didn't really think about that," Henry said. "I was just trying to get the curse broken."

Regina turned to Henry. "That was one of the worst days of my life, Henry. Though, I've certainly had some more bad days since then."

"When Henry came home with Emma, what were you thinking, Regina?" Archie asked.

"I wasn't sure what to think," Regina said. "I thought that Henry might want to find his birth mother someday, but I never thought that would happen so soon. At first I wasn't that concerned, though, because I thought that Emma would leave right away, just like everyone did when they came from out of town. When she stayed, that was when I knew she was a threat."

"A threat to the curse?" Henry asked. He had really thought that his mom wasn't aware of who Emma was for a long time.

"Well, I certainly started to suspect that she was Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter, yes," Regina said.

Henry was surprised. He thought that he had kept the secret so well. She had known that the whole time?

"How did you know who Emma was?" Henry asked. "I made sure to tear those pages out of the book."

"Well, Rumplestiltskin told me that their child could break the curse," Regina said. "I didn't know when, but I assumed that she would show up at some point. I had no idea she would be your birth mother, though. That made it so much worse."

"Why did that make it worse?" Henry asked.

"Because she could take you away from me," Regina said. "I always thought that even if the curse was broken, I would still have you, and that was what really mattered. Emma being your birth mother changed everything."

"If you knew who Emma was the whole time, why didn't you try to get rid of her sooner?" Henry asked.

"Well, I did," Regina said. "I tried to get her to leave town. When that didn't work, I tried to get her to follow my rules. After awhile, it was clear that I couldn't really get her out of your life without more drastic measures."

"So you tried to give Emma the cursed apple turnover," Henry said a little angrily.

Regina nodded. "I didn't want her to take you away from me. When you ate it instead, and I saw you lying there in the hospital…"

Regina's voice trailed off, and she looked down at her hands.

"I know you were sorry about that, after I ate it," Henry said. "But, you can't hurt Emma anymore either. I love you, but I love her, too. You're both my moms."

Regina looked at Henry and took his hand in her own. "I understand that now, Henry, and I'm really trying to change. You have to believe me."

Henry looked in her eyes for a moment. There was a warmth and sincerity now that didn't used to be there.

"I do," Henry said.

"As long as you're trying to change, Regina, we might be able to see if Emma would be willing to let you start seeing Henry again, outside of sessions with me," Archie said. "I think that spending some time together could be good for you. As long as you're okay with that, Henry."

Archie looked at him.

"Yeah, I would like that," Henry said.

Regina smiled at Henry. "Maybe we could start having dinners together again?"

"Yeah," Henry said. "Well, as long as Emma doesn't think it's a problem because of your fighting with Mr. Gold."

Regina shook her head. "After that last fight, Gold and I talked. We now have a truce of sorts…for the time being, at least."

"That's good," Henry said. "I would think that Emma should be okay with it, then."

Archie nodded. "I'll talk to Emma about it. I think this has been a good session. Really talking about everything is important. I'll see you both again in a few days."

After the session, Archie and Regina talked to Emma, and they agreed to Henry and Regina having dinner together once a week. Henry was feeling good about Operation Falcon. He was hopeful that soon, he would be able to get Regina and Snow really talking to each other, too.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** I'm sorry that it took me so long to update this! I'm hoping to finish this fic by the end of this year. This chapter takes place a couple of months after the previous one. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Henry was still sitting in the car and staring out the window a few minutes after Emma had stopped in front of the diner.

"Aren't you going to go in, Henry?" Emma asked.

"I'm just a little nervous," Henry said, turning toward Emma.

Emma looked confused. "Why? You've been going to lunch with Regina pretty regularly for a couple of months now."

Henry had been meeting Regina for lunch a few times a week in addition to the therapy sessions they had with Archie. He also went over to her house a few times for dinner, and they watched movies or played games. Henry sometimes still thought of it as his house, but he was getting more used to living with Emma, Snow, and Charming now. At the last therapy session, they had discussed the possibility of Henry spending some weekends with Regina, but they still had to work that out yet. One step at a time, as Archie always said. Henry was ready to take the next big step in helping Regina be a good person now, or at least he thought he was ready.

"I'm going to tell Mom that I want Snow to come to one of our sessions," Henry said.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Henry, are you sure that Regina is ready to agree to that?"

Henry shrugged. "I don't know, but I think our sessions have been going well. If Mom and Snow are going to forgive each other, though, they have to really talk to each other."

Currently, if Regina and Snow saw each other, they didn't say much. Emma did most of the talking with Regina when it came to Henry. At least Regina and Snow weren't yelling at each other, though, and Regina hadn't done anything to Snow since she tried to frame her for Kathryn's disappearance. Even Charming was civil to Regina now that he could see that she wasn't going to kidnap Henry or continue her path of revenge.

"Okay, well, good luck, Henry," Emma said. "I hope that Regina agrees to your plan."

"Thanks. Me, too," Henry said, getting out of the car.

Regina was already waiting for Henry at the table they always sat at. She smiled at Henry as he walked in. He smiled back.

"Hi, Mom," Henry said as he sat down.

"Hello, Henry," Regina said. "I brought something for you."

"Really?" Henry asked, curious.

Regina pulled a comic book out of her bag. It was the latest issue of The Avengers.

"Oh, this is great! Thanks, Mom!"

Henry walked over to the other side of the table and gave Regina a hug before sitting back down again.

"I'm glad that you like it," Regina said. "I was hoping that Emma, Snow, or Charming hadn't already gotten it for you."

"No, they hadn't," Henry said. "Mom, I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure, Henry, what do you want to ask?"

Ruby came by with Henry's hot chocolate and a cup of coffee for his mom.

"Thanks, Ruby," Henry said.

"Yes, thank you," Regina said.

"No problem," Ruby replied.

Henry thought that it was nice to see Ruby no longer glaring at Regina when she came over. When they first started coming to the diner for their regular lunches, Ruby always looked very unhappy to see her. Ruby and everybody else at the diner seemed more comfortable with Regina there now. Henry was happy that most of the people in town seemed to believe that Regina was genuinely trying to change.

Regina and Henry both ordered burgers and fries. Henry took a deep breath and asked the question he had been waiting to ask for months.

"Mom, would it be okay if Snow came to one of our sessions with Archie?"

Regina just stared at Henry in silence for a few moments. Henry waited for her to speak, hoping that the answer would be "yes."

"You want Snow to come to our session?" Regina asked. "Why?"

Henry didn't expect Regina to look happy with the idea, and she didn't. Still, he needed Regina and Snow to really talk, even if they weren't thrilled about it. It was the only way for everyone to move on from the past and to bring the family together.

"I just want you to talk to each other," Henry said. "I know that you're not going to forgive each other right away, but I need you to at least get to the point where you get along. Archie can help. You and Snow are both my family."

Regina frowned and looked down at her coffee. "I don't know, Henry. There's a lot of bad history there. Snow…She took everything from me."

Henry didn't want to argue with Regina about Snow's role in Daniel's death. That was for Archie to help with at the sessions. Right now, he just needed his mom to agree to have the session together.

"I just want you to talk, that's all," Henry said. "It doesn't have to be at tomorrow's session, if you're not ready. Please…for me?"

Regina gave Henry a pained look. Finally, she nodded. "Alright, Henry. I'd rather get this over with, so she can come to the session tomorrow. But, I'm not promising to forgive her. I will, however, try to be civil."

Henry smiled. "Thanks, Mom. That's all I'm asking."

"Well, I guess I can look forward to that tomorrow," Regina said, with more than a trace of sarcasm in her voice. "Today, though, I'd like to talk about something else. How's school going?"

As they talked and ate, Henry wondered how the next day would go. Would Regina and Snow ever be able to forgive each other? That question would start to be answered tomorrow.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** Thank you so much for all the reviews!

Henry had butterflies in his stomach this morning. Today would be the day that Regina and Snow would really talk—or attempt to talk, at least. Henry wasn't the only one who was nervous. Snow had barely touched her breakfast.

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea," Snow said.

She had said that several times this morning. Henry didn't believe Snow would really back out, though. She had already promised him that she would go to the session.

"You and my mom have to really talk," Henry said. "Archie will be there to help. I'll be there, too."

"We haven't even spoken about what happened since Regina gave me that poisoned apple," Snow said. "We've never really talked about it. Regina was always too focused on revenge."

"That's exactly why you need to do this," Henry said.

Snow was slowly nibbling at her piece of toast. "She'll never forgive me. She'll never stop blaming me for what happened to Daniel."

"You won't know unless you try to talk," Henry said once again.

Snow nodded. "I know. I'll try to talk to Regina, but I can't promise that it will help, Henry."

"It's still worth it to try," Henry said.

Emma and Charming had already headed to the sheriff's station for the day. Henry looked at the clock. Snow did the same.

"I suppose we might as well get going," Snow said.

Henry nodded. He couldn't believe that this was finally happening. Now that they were on their way to Archie's office, though, he was more nervous than ever. What if this conversation was a disaster? What if it just made things worse? Henry could only hope that he was doing the right thing.

Snow and Henry were both quiet on the short drive to Archie's office. Henry wondered if Regina was nervous, too.

"Are you ready?" Henry asked when Snow parked the car.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose," Snow said.

They got out of the car and headed into Archie's office. Regina was already sitting on the couch. She turned around and smiled at Henry.

"Hello, Henry," she said warmly. Her smile faded as she turned to Snow. "Mary Margaret."

"Regina," Snow responded.

"Thank you for coming, Snow," Archie said.

Snow just smiled and nodded. When she didn't move toward the couch right away, Henry decided that he better sit down next to Regina. He thought that it might be best for him to be in the middle for the time being.

"You still call Snow 'Mary Margaret,'" Archie said to Regina as Snow finally sat down next to Henry. "Is that easier for you, Regina?"

"I still call you 'Archie,'" Regina said.

"Well, you can call me Jiminy, if you want," Archie said. "This isn't about me, though. It's about you and Snow. Since we're talking about the past today, I think it's best for you to refer to her as Snow."

"Fine," Regina said, turning toward Snow. "Snow."

"Good," Archie said. "Why don't we just get started? First, let's talk about how you met."

"I saved her life," Regina said.

Snow nodded. "Yes, Regina saved my life. My horse went wild, and Regina helped me. I still don't know why the horse did that."

"That was most likely my mother's doing," Regina said.

Snow looked at Regina in surprise. "You believe that Cora was responsible?"

Regina nodded. "She wanted me to be a queen, and she would have done anything to make that happen," she said. She looked down at her hands. "Anything," she said again softly.

"Including killing Daniel," Snow said softly.

Regina turned toward Snow sharply. "Yes," she said, anger apparent in her voice.

She looked like she was going to say more, but then she turned to Henry and looked away again.

Snow looked away as well, and neither said anything for a few moments. Archie looked at Regina and Snow and then turned toward Henry.

"Henry, I think it's best for Regina and Snow to have the rest of the session alone with me now," he said.

Regina and Snow both looked up at him with alarm.

"I don't think…" Snow started.

"Archie, what…" Regina began.

Archie put his hand up. "I think it's important for you two to continue this discussion without worrying about Henry's reaction."

He turned to Henry. "Henry, you can read in the waiting room, or you can go to the diner or visit Emma and Charming if you like. You can come back at the end of the session."

"Are you sure?" Henry asked.

What if Regina and Snow killed each other while he was gone?

Archie smiled. "Yes, I hope that's okay with you, Henry."

Henry nodded. He understood why Archie wanted that. Regina and Snow wouldn't really talk with him there. He was still worried, but he trusted Archie, so he got up anyway.

"I'll see you in a little while," Henry said to Regina and Snow as he left.

Henry started to walk toward the waiting room, but then he stopped. Maybe he should stand at the door and listen, just in case. That way, he could intervene if Regina and Snow got too angry at each other. After all, this was his idea in the first place, wasn't it?

Henry quietly walked back and put his ear to the door. Archie was talking again.

"Alright, now let's talk about what happened after you saved Snow's life, Regina."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** I meant to get this chapter done earlier, but then I got distracted with the holidays. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Henry tried to be as quiet as possible as he stood outside the door of Archie's office. He felt a little guilty, but he just really wanted to hear Regina and Snow's conversation. Besides, he was concerned they might get into a big fight, so it was good for him to be here.

"I really thought that Regina would be like a mother to me," Snow was saying. "Or at least a big sister. I was so young when I lost my mother, and Regina was so kind to me."

"I was young, too," Regina said. "I just wanted to be with Daniel. The day my mother brought the king in there…I didn't realize that saving a girl's life would ruin mine."

"So, you and Daniel decided to run away together and get married," Archie said.

It was a little frustrating for Henry not to be able to see them right now. He just had to assume that Regina nodded.

"I caught Regina and Daniel together in the stables," Snow said.

"What did you think when you saw them?" Archie asked.

"I was really upset," Snow said. "Regina was supposed to marry my father, and I couldn't understand why she was kissing this stable boy. Once Regina told me about Daniel, though, I wanted them to be together. I thought that my father would understand, and I wanted to tell him, but she made me promise not to."

"A promise you couldn't keep," Regina said angrily.

"Regina, I was very young, and you know what your mother was like," Snow said. "She manipulated me into telling her."

"Of course I know what my mother was like!" Regina said, her voice rising. "I had to live with her all those years. You keep saying how young you were, but you were still old enough to know better. You knew what a secret was."

"Yes, I did, but your mother convinced me that it was best for you if I told her about Daniel," Snow said. "I didn't know what she was like then, and I didn't want you to lose your mother like I had lost mine."

"Wasn't it more that you wanted me to be your mother?" Regina snapped.

"Regina," Archie said calmly. "I understand that you're upset, but it's important that you listen to each other's sides."

Henry had no idea what Regina's response was since he couldn't see her and she didn't respond out loud. There was silence for a few moments.

"Yes," Snow said softly, so softly that Henry had to strain to hear. "I did want you to be my mother, but I never meant to betray you, Regina. I truly thought that your mother would let you be with Daniel. As I said, I didn't know what she was like until later. I had no idea that she killed Daniel until that day so many years later by Daniel's grave."

"You thought we would all live together, happily ever after?" Regina said sarcastically.

"Yes, Regina, I did," Snow said. "I was young, and I was naïve. I had never met anybody like your mother before. I just assumed that she had your best interest at heart and would let you be with the one you loved."

"Well, that was a bad assumption," Regina said.

Snow sighed. "Yes, I know that now, Regina. If I could take it back, I would. I can tell you that I'm sorry, and I am, but it won't bring Daniel back."

"No, it won't," Regina said.

There was silence again for a few moments. Finally, Archie spoke.

"It must have been difficult, living with Snow and being her stepmother when you were so upset with her," Archie said.

"Yes, it was horrible," Regina said. "Every day, I had to see her and pretend that everything was fine between us. I tried for awhile not to be so angry, but it wasn't possible. I had to be married to someone I didn't love and be a stepmother to a girl who cost me the life of the man I did love."

"I had no idea what Regina was going through," Snow said. "Regina, why didn't you run away if you hated us so much?"

"I tried," Regina said, annoyance in her voice. "My mother wouldn't let me go."

"But, what about when your mother was gone?" Snow asked.

"Well, Rumplestiltskin was showing me magic then," Regina said.

"Why did you want to learn magic, Regina?" Archie asked.

There was a pause before Regina responded. "I wanted to bring Daniel back," she finally said.

"You did?" Snow asked softly.

"You thought you would be able to bring him back from the dead?" Archie asked.

"Yes, but that didn't work," Regina said. "Isn't our session about over?"

"Yes, our time is about up, but we can talk more if you would like," Archie said. "I don't have another client for a couple of hours."

"No, I think I should get going," Regina said.

"Alright, will you two agree to come back next week?" Archie asked.

"Yes," Snow said.

"I suppose," Regina said.

"Good," Archie said. "I know it might not seem like it, but I believe we made progress in this session. The first step is getting everything out in the open and really talking."

Henry realized that he needed to get away from the door, so he hustled over to the waiting room and pulled out a comic book just as Snow and Regina came into the room.

"How was your session?" Henry asked, hoping that his face didn't give him away.

"Fine," Regina said.

"It was a good session, I think," Snow said.

"That's good," Henry said.

"Are you ready to go home, Henry?" Snow asked.

Henry nodded. He hoped that Archie was right and that session really was progress. It would definitely take awhile for Regina and Snow to forgive each other, but he still had hope that Operation Falcon would be a success.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: **I've become one of those authors who never updates. I'm sorry about that! I'm going to try to actually wrap this up in the next few weeks. Thank you so much for reading and for all the reviews, favorites, and follows!

"Are you ready to go, Henry?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, almost," Henry said.

It was Regina's birthday today. She hadn't mentioned it, and Henry was proud of himself for remembering. He picked up the present he had made for her. He was sure that she would enjoy it.

"Be sure to wish Regina a 'happy birthday' for me," Snow said. Then she frowned. "Actually, that still might not be a good idea. That might just annoy her."

"Well, you said that your sessions have been going well," Henry said.

Snow and Regina had had a few more sessions, but sadly, Henry wasn't able to eavesdrop on those. From what they both said about them, though, they seemed to be making progress.

"They have been, at least, in terms of our really difficult relationship," Snow said. "Still, it might be a little soon for me to be passing along friendly greetings to her."

Henry nodded. "Okay. I think my mom will just be happy that I remembered her birthday. I hope she likes her present."

Snow smiled. "I'm sure she'll love it, Henry."

"It's a really nice present, Henry," Emma agreed. "You told Regina that we're coming, right?"

"Yeah, she knows I'm coming over for awhile, but she doesn't know that it's because of her birthday," Henry said. "At least, I don't think she knows."

Henry knew that most of the town still wouldn't want to come out for a birthday party for Regina, even if the residents of Storybrooke seemed to be slowly accepting that she was changing. Henry knew it might be awhile before most of the town was welcoming of Regina, but he still hoped that it would happen eventually.

For now, though, Henry hoped that Regina would like the birthday present and cake he was bringing her.

As he rode over to Regina's house in Emma's car, Henry thought about the progress they had made on Operation Falcon. The good in Regina was coming out more and more. She and Snow might not have completely forgiven each other yet, but they were getting there with the help of Archie.

Regina smiled as she opened the door. Her eyes widened as she saw the present in Henry's hands and the cake in Emma's.

"Happy birthday, Mom!" Henry said.

"Oh, Henry, thank you so much!" Regina said as she leaned down and gave him a hug. "You remembered."

"Yep," Henry said, smiling.

"Happy birthday, Regina," Emma said, handing Regina the cake. "Here is a cake for you to enjoy. It's fresh from the bakery, so it should be good."

"Thank you, Emma," Regina said. "You should both come in and have a piece of cake."

"Oh, okay," Emma said with a surprised look. "I don't have to stay, though. You probably just want to spend your birthday with Henry."

Regina stepped aside to let them in. "Well, that's a lot of cake for just me and Henry."

Regina set the cake on the table and cut three slices. Then, she took some ice cream out of the freezer, and they each scooped out the amount they wanted with their cake.

"Thank you for bringing Henry over, Emma," Regina said. "Not just today, but in general."

"No problem," Emma said, looking at Henry. "But, Henry gets the credit for believing that we could work things out."

Regina smiled at Henry. "Well, we are a family, so I suppose it's about time for us to learn to get along."

"Archie thinks that we should all have a family dinner at some point," Henry said.

Emma looked wary. "Was Archie planning to be there?"

It was Regina who answered her. "Yes, he's planning to be there, too. He mentioned it at my session this morning."

Emma nodded. "Well, I suppose that could be a good idea. Anyway, I should let you and Henry spend some time together. Thank you for the cake."

"You're the one who brought it," Regina said.

"That's true, but I still appreciate that we could all sit and have cake together. Maybe that dinner will go well, too."

"Should I just call you when I need you to pick me up?" Henry asked Emma.

Emma nodded. "Yep. Anyway, I hope that you have a good birthday, Regina."

Regina smiled. "It's already a good birthday."

After Emma left, Henry handed Regina her present.

"Oh, thank you, Henry."

"You don't even know what it is yet."

"I'm sure I'll like it, regardless of what it is."

Regina opened the present that Henry had been working on for the last couple of weeks. He had been asking for copies of pictures of him and his mom and claiming they were for a school project. Then, he made a little scrapbook with the photos and notes about his memories growing up.

Regina had tears in her eyes as she looked through it. "Henry, thank you so much. I love you."

"I love you, too, Mom."


End file.
